NDIS job opportunities

The future and present employment prospects of thousands of Australians are being transformed by the NDIS, figures show. Disability care is taking the crown that once adorned the mining boom.

Even with the NDIS fully rolled out in only two states (NSW and South Australia), more than 14,271 service providers are now approved to deliver disability supports. This is an increase of 64% since 30 June 2017.

Previous projections have estimated that 70,000 new NDIS service-provider jobs need to be created in the three years to June 2020. But difficulties with compliance regulation has slowed the growth of the workforce.

However, a report by Seek Insights reveals that the NDIS is already helping make the Healthcare & Social Assistance sector Australia’s biggest employer.

As of February this year, the sector accounted for 13.7% of all employment – and is set to grow a further 16.1% over the next five years.

Seek Insights is the research arm of the online recruitment giant, seek.com.au. It provides regular commentary on employment, particularly from an advertising perspective.

It’s ‘Why the healthcare industry is Australia's biggest employer’ report found that ads for jobs in healthcare have risen by 62% in the five years since the initial launch of the NDIS.

The report said: “New job ads have increased significantly since the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) was launched in its trial phase in 2013.

“A clear upward trajectory can be seen over the past five years as the scheme has been rolled out across all states and territories.”

Interestingly, the report also showed that while more than two-thirds of all healthcare ads offer jobs in the capital cities, the overall growth is being generated by the regions.

New healthcare opportunities in regional Australia, as a share of the national total, has risen from one-quarter to a one-third over the last seven years.

The growth in employment opportunities is reflected in new course offerings, to cater for the training of new entrants into the sector.

South West TAFE, which covers regional south-west Victoria, has launched a new course to prepare students for a career in disability care.

A spokesperson for the TAFE said it was responding to the expansion of the NDIS. The short course will provide an overview of the NDIS and on how to support participants. On successful completion, students can go straight into jobs in the disability sector or take further studies in support work.